Gimme a BRAKE!

I was doing a spring check over of my IM to prepare for Morro Bay. I pulled a wheel and looked at my brake pads, and noticed a very small drip under my master cylinder. Sure enough, a small leak had started. I drained all my fluid today before pulling the master. The brake fluid looked like coffee. My car is 8 years old an it is the original fluid. I figured that since my car has always been in a garage and lived in a dry climate that it would be OK. WRONG! So go ahead and change your fluid about every 2 years like is recommended. I probably could have saved my master cylinder. That stuff that came out was nasty!

WILL,
FOR $50.00 A YEAR TO VINCE HE WILL DO ALL THAT MAINTENACE CHECK UP WORK FOR U. HE LOVES TO WORK ON CARS

LMAO!

Will, when are you going to put the BIG motor in?

Will: I WANT BRAKES!!!

Pls tel me all is Jake, and the car stops like it should.

Kelly

And roger that about changing fluid out. That stuff sucks humidity out of the driest environment, and will rust out the plumbing sooner or later. Regular dump and bleed is the ticket. Besides, it gives your right-seater a way to "participate" in your car thing. She can work the pedal while you run the bleeder. or maybe not . . .

Kelly, brakes are A-OK! Fresh Brad Penn oil, and I cleaned the beer cans and roaches out from under the seat!

...so that just leaves the Hostess Twinkie wrappers and several 'Depends'!

Beautiful :)

I tried Silicon brake fluid one time - it doesn't absorb moisture and has higher boiling point --- BUT its compression dynamics make for longer pedal push and longer braking distances. Supposedly it affects rubber parts too but I never had issue with that.

DOT 5 silicone brake fluid used to cause the rubber seals to swell and create leaks and piston bind. Though I've heard they've fixed those issues. As you said it's more compressible than DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 and gives you that spongy pedal. The 5 doesn't absorb water like the other three but if you change from 3/4/5.1 to 5 you have to disassemble the entire brake system and clean everything out with alcohol or you'll trap moisture in the system and corrode your lines and pistons. But if you do put it in a clean system, you'll never have to change the fluid again.

DOT 3 fluid eats natural rubber seals.

DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 will eat paint. 5 will not, so if you've got a show quality paint job, you might want to use it even with the worse pedal feel.

I'd go with DOT 4. Not quite as good as 5.1 but easier to find.

And get some of those brake fluid testing strips. They'll tell you when the moisture content gets too high and it's time for a change.

Great info here about (connecting?) the DOTs. And tester strips?? Never heard of that, although it sounds just right. thanks!!

I used some ATE Super Blue Racing Fluid I got from Pelican Parts. It should be good stuff, and it has a cool blue color! I think red stuff makes cars go faster and blue stuff makes them stop faster. I know it costs more.

I love to help you out Will, but I just had my mudbath and I'm alergic to any sort of automobile liquids, but being the pal that
I am, I will send my mechanic over to check your dipstick. (if you know what I mean)

Amazon.com sells a 100 count tube of FASCAR Strip Dip brake fluid testing strips for $49. They actually test copper levels not moisture so it's supposed to be more accurate.

I don't know what the hell you would need a hundred of them for, but they don't seem to sell any smaller quantities. I suppose one person could buy it and then others could send them $5 and they mail back 10 strips in an envelope.

Vince, did your mechanic used to work overtime at a Long Beach custom cycle shop?

Vince, you are a pal!